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August 24, 2007
Newquay fire ...
The discovery of more human remains in the rubble of the Penhallow Hotel will be upsetting for those involved and for the relatives, but it will also bring an end to the uncertainty and to the pain suffered by knowing that someone is "unaccounted for". As an ex-firefighter I know that some at least of the first arriving crews will now be asking themselves the questions, "Could I have done more? Could I have saved them?" These will never go away, if you have been there while someone was dying in something as ghastly as this, these questions haunt every dedicated fire fighter - and the UK Fire and Rescue Services still, despite the circus that is London, have more dedicated men and women who are thoroughly professional about what they do than of the sort I described in my last post on this subject.
I ask that you pray for all those involved in this ghastly fire, they will need those prayers in the days ahead, both the victims/guests and the fire crews who attended it.
Those investigating the fire will need your prayers and support as well. There are a number of features of this fire that should give us all some disquiet. Whether or not it was arson is immaterial, this fire spread very rapidly, suggesting that the structure had some features which may have helped it spread. That raises questions about the fire protection and the generally accepted concepts of "passive fire protection" and its effectiveness. In my experience it is, only if it is maintained and tested in realistic conditions which take account of the size and type of fire it is likely to be exposed to. Then, in an old building which has undergone numerous changes, a lot of the integrity will have been compromised - creating channels for the fire to spread in hidden spaces and in unpredictable ways.
And on top of that, the investigators must tread carefully as they look for the remians of any other victims who may be still missing. All of our prayers will help sustain them.
Posted by The Gray Monk at August 24, 2007 07:06 AM
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